| Water Heater Standards Can Equal Energy Savings | 07 May 08 |
 Water heaters, responsible for 17 percent of residential energy use, went completely unregulated in the United States - until now!The U.S. Department of Energy announced new ENERGY STAR® criteria for water heaters. Traditional water heaters are the 3rd biggest energy user in homes. The new criteria take effect January 1, 2009 for all five categories of residential water heaters. General Electric has developed a tankless heater that provides hot water only when needed and uses 30 percent less energy per unit water produced. Standard electric water heaters required about 4800 kwh/year; the new GE Hybrid Electric water heater requires 2300 kwh/yr to operate. Under the Energy Efficiency Act Canada plans to set minimum energy performance standard for new products or make existing standards more stringent for: air conditioners, freezers, gas furnaces, dishwashers, etc. Water heater standards in Canada were last updated in 2004 and do not compare to new U.S. standards. View April 2, 2008 Eco Geek article Visit General Electric Appliances - Video Gallery View General Electric Tankless Gas Water Heater product page View April 1, 2008 U.S. Department of Energy press release View Natural Resources Canada - Energy Efficiency Regulations Backgrounder View 2004 Natural Resources Canada - Energy Efficiency Levels for Storage Water Heaters Sources: Eco Geek, GE Appliances, U.S. Department of Energy, Natural Resources Canada |
|
 Print version |
Top |
